Background:"It has been almost a century since I was... illuminated. And very nearly eight decades since I reached the rank of Inquisitor. My old mistress continues, apparently as strong and capable as ever. And while we occasionally share information, we mostly keep to our own efforts, our own investigations, rarely encountering each other as the decades pass.

"I am do not know her current Interrogator, or if she even has one. Certainly not one of our hidden order, at any rate, or of the Templar Order, for that matter. For my part I have raised three, and voted on five more. None of them Illuminated. Keeping them separate from the private business was difficult, but achievable. I tended to use the Templars as a cover or blind, and that served well enough. One or two have remained members, and have "discovered" the threat that Hydra is to the Imperium. Their half-educated support is useful as a shield for us against their actions.

"I have often wondered if Hydra has any connection to the Alpha Legion. Perhaps it is so, perhaps not. Discovery of this fact as the millennium closes seems... unlikely, at best. And there are other events that require my attention. Some involving the Carthaxian Conclave. Others are elsewhere within the imperium, not even within this region at all.

"In personal matters, for example, I am aware that my brother, and the charter of my family has come under the sway of one Inquisitor Helena Corwin. There may even be children in the offing, though my information is that this is not entirely of my brother's doing. Certainly one of her manipulations over him, at any rate. Almost certain, in fact, given that my most recent information shows that he has... well, a certain dislike of psykers. Whether it is one conventional of the average citizen, or some childhood trauma related to myself I cannot say. I do not currently have the time to involve myself, with or without invitation. So for now I content myself with merely keeping track of family matters. At this distance, little else can be done.

"In other matters, there are investigations to pursue. And not just efforts against Hydra. The Order of the Numinous Breath, for example. On the surface they pretend loyalty to the God-Emperor. But underneath? I do suspect some degree of corruption. I would deploy Rivkah, my assassin, to remove the head, but I do not yet have the evidence to confirm my suspicions. For this I require the efforts of ex-arbitrator Bren, and the somewhat less officious actions of Ranna. Given that one enforced the law (and from a certain perspective still does) while the other rather gleefully enjoys breaking it, this is understandable.

"Rivkah is less understanding of personal interactions than I now tend to be, or have been since my illumination. It has caused me to give off some subtle - likely psychic - signature that some others can find... off-putting. Bothersome. Rivkah has no such issue, but her upbringing causes her to have even greater difficulties. Death cults are prevalent throughout the imperium, and most - at least, those that are accepted within the wider body - are religious in nature. The remainder are usually purged, for obvious reasons. These religions tend to be somewhat extreme in nature, focusing on the blood of the Emperor, or of Sanguinius, or some other hero of the Imperium. But mostly of the Emperor. Not always blood, admittedly. Sometimes death, life, or combat prowess. Usually connected to one heroic action or another. Regardless of the finder details, the ultimate effect is the same. Warriors of religious fervour who focus on killing those deemed to be enemies of the Imperium.

"Laudable, but unless carefully guided it can be dangerous. Thankfully I have gained some control over the Cult of the Emperor's Death - a cult largely focused around his slaying of Horus, sacrificing himself for the salvation of all. I managed to purge any elements that were coming close to khornate influence, and with careful positioning of watchful ecclesiarchs, have ensured the purity - and loyalty - of the cult ever since. Rivkah is the most recent "offering" provided to me by the cult. She has been with me for nearly three years now. In her mid-twenties, and very capable with any edged weapon. She prefers a clean cut over any chain weapon, and dislikes power blades, as she believes that the cut should be metal to flesh. It does ignore historical imagery of the Holy Emperor slaying Horus with his famed flaming power weapon, but then each cult has its own attitudes, and hers is no different. She is highly talented, and also accurate with throwing weapons. She is also reasonably beautiful, but I have not yet encountered a situation where that would be relevant for her - especially given her lack of attention in that area. She might be worthy of training and recruitment for the Callidus temple, given a little more time. And honestly, I will be forwarding her for their interests at some later date.

"Bren is more personable. Even by the standards of the Arbites he is reasonably jovial. With me, however, he maintains only a respectful, cordial relationship. There is definite respect there, I have earned that much. Especially after the actions on Varandus IX, against the Gorgonian Blaze recidivists. His keen investigative mind was crucial in that particular situation, and in ensuring a successful prosecution. In that event he certainly also earned my respect. I find now that I cannot do without him. At least, not currently. I believe he chooses to keep personal relationships, at least with me, at a distance in part because it can be difficult to be friends with one's employer. He has certainly had observably better friendships with other members of my staff, or cell leaders as we have encountered them. I imagine working with me can be lonely for him, in some respects. I have hope that Ranna will break through his outer shell eventually so that the two of them can come to trust each other.

"Ranna is very personable. Indeed, she appears to be a friend to all - I honestly think the 'disagreements' between Bren and Ranna are merely a cover for an antagonistic competitive friendship. I do not know - telepath or not, I prefer to respect the privacy of my agents. Well, so long as it does not interfere with the security of the Imperium, in any event. I know enough to trust them, and given the stress and demands of our task, I prefer not to push my people unnecessarily. Indeed, of my immediate cell of agents that I surround myself with, Ranna is quite possibly the only one I could call a friend. Rivkah is too much either in awe, or merely the professional assassin, while Bren is the consummate professional ex-arbites officer. Ranna is more relaxed. Amusing, that a scoundrel and ne'er-do-well would be a better sounding board than any more law-abiding member of the Imperium. Such is life. I do not know which of Bren or Ranna could prove to be a suitable Interrogator. Possibly both - it is possible to retain more than one, after all. But would either of them be suitable for illumination? Bren, I think not, but Ranna? Perhaps. We shall see. Perhaps she can be offered the Choice. I shall have to see - I do not wish to send her to an early death because I misjudged. I am convinced I have been correct up until now to not offer this choice to my Interrogators, and I do not wish to begin making mistakes now. Ranna could be a great boon to the Imperium, regardless of Illumination.

"Ranna's abilities, and naturally curious mind are a great asset. With some additional training - in her case very minor - she has proven to be quite the expert at breaking and entering. I imagine that if Rivkah was less stand-offish, the two would likely end up in competition regarding who could get into a secure location first. Rivkah's help during the Morkith Affair, regarding the nobles of that world were of particular help in acquiring the necessary evidence to remove the corruption from the high spires. And in planting other evidence to help in removing the less capable members of that society so that better placed individuals could take their place.

"Amusingly it was because of this that the local tech-magi gifted me my power sword and bolt pistol. The sword itself has since been improved, blessed, and carefully carved to aid me in the slaying of heretics and worse besides, while I have merely done my best to maintain the bolt pistol as it is - it is of an older pattern of weapon, rarely seen in these latter days. Rarely do I use either, both out of care and reverence, and also out of a preference to be somewhat less noticeable. Ironically, my digital weapon was provided to me by the governor, as a gift for removing the corrupt and incompetent. Not least because those who had replaced the incompetent ended up having him replaced not long after via local planetary laws for having failed to foresee or act on the corruption within the spires. The Administratum cared not a whit, as the tithes proceeded as normal, and at a much more efficient level than previously.

"I prefer the more subtle route, however, much like Ranna and, in her way, Rivkah. Bren prefers a more overt method - he has developed an affection for plasma weaponry. Given that our targets are not always soft in nature, I have not dissuaded him from this. I have also found that utilising as a comms specialist - with suitable training - has also been to the good. Making him into the nerve centre for my communications to our little team, or to any wider team we need to control during investigations, has been a great boon to my ability to organise when dealing with combat. In this I have tried to borrow from an acquired copy of the Codex Astartes, both for overt combat when my investigations have drawn me into a battlefield situation, and for more covert operations, where combat is required. It has proven very useful. And educational.

"With the turn of the millennium, I have noticed events shifting. More and more cults spring up, more wars occur, more corruption. It is not an action of age, but of the times themselves. This is no mere chance, or simply a view from my psychology. Something is changing. Events are underway. I can only hope the Illuminati and the Templar can prevent Hydra from taking advantage."

« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 02:51:01 PM by mcjomar »

Logged

"Heretics are like cockroaches - annoying to find, and even more annoying to kill." - unattrib.